TOTAL LUNAR ECLIPSE: The Blood Moon

Before the Blood Moon, further developments involving your president, PUS#47, Donald Trump.

• Just off the wire, Judge William Alsup of Northern California, appointed by President Bill Clinton, ruled that many fired by Trump in six federal agencies be rehired.  I guess the administration will appeal, so they remain out of a job until the Supreme Court eventually rules.  Remember that the judicial system has no enforcement capability, so they have no power to enforce their rules.  As long as Trump controls the Department Defense, he does not have to follow any judicial judgement.  He can then be called a dictator.  Let's see what happens.
• 
  The trade wars initiated by Trump are escalating.  
• Remember, of course, that at the end of Joe Biden's presidency, the USA had the strongest economy in the world.
• Then came those tariffs on our allies.  "Only" 10-25%.

• 
  Followed by retaliations.  For example:
• In our fight with the European Union, they planned a 50% tax on American whiskey.
• So Trump threatened them with a 200% tariff of European wine.  This means that a $15 bottle of Italian Prosecco would jump to $45.

• 
  The stock market has suddenly crashed, and is down again today, with a recession looming.
• It certainly looks like there is no comprehensive White House plan to maximize success, for these tariffs are announced almost at random, and depending on how pissed Trump personally gets about any reaction, there is pull-back or expansion.  If that is the strategy, woe to the world.

• 
  Mind you, Trump is right about other countries currently taxing us more for the same products, and his tariffs are said to be reciprocal.  That is, making taxes the same.
• The U.S. typically suffers a trade deficit of almost a trillion dollars/year.  While taxes play a role, this difference has more to do with our products being more expensive to produce, so they do not sell well abroad.
• Tariffs.  
• Here is something from the Tax Foundation that more confuses me than not.
• This article shows that Japan tariffs U.S. rice at between 200% and 700%.  Is that fair?  No.
• 
  About the Ukraine-Russia War ceasefire proposed by the U.S., Ukraine said O.K., but Putin wants details first to be sorted out BEFORE there is a stoppage.  In more ways than not, this is a delay tactic to gain more territory as fast as possible.

Here is something you can watch for free tonight:  the total lunar eclipse of March's Worm Moon, called the Blood Moon because it will look red.  

• If your home is blocked, this You Tube site should work.  It goes live at 3PM EDT.
• Or, watch this NASA clip about what will happen.  This is from WTHR in Indianapolis.
• Or, go to Space.com, and they have within the article several platforms (links).
• 
  Where does this occur?  
• Western Hemisphere.
• All of the U.S. will get a prime view.  The previous total lunar eclipse occurred over the country on 8November2022.  
• Many other sites will at least get a partial eclipse?
• Only if the sky is clear.
• Go to this site for a map of future lunar eclipses.  
• 
  What time?
• 11:57PM EDT  Moon begins moving through the Earth's shadow.
• 2:26PM EDT to 3:31 EDT  Peak of total lunar eclipse.
• Go to this site to find out when you will see totality (Hawaii  8:26PM to 9:31PM).
• That site also provides a table of MAX totality.
• Anchorage, Alaska  2:00 AKDT
• Albany, New York  2:58  EDT
• Austin, Texas  1:58 CDT
• 
  Why is it called a worm moon?  This March moon occurs when the soil begins to warm, when in some colder regions, earthworms and other forms awake from their winter slumber.  A good source of food for birds and other animals coming out of hibernation.

• 
  EVERY total lunar eclipse is a BLOOD Moon.
• Not exactly related subject, but the Ides of March is on Saturday, March 17, 2025.  
• Represents the beginning of the new year of the Roman Calendar.  January and February were later added.

• 
  The stigma of bad luck and doom comes from March 15 in 44 BC when Roman Emperor Julius Caesar was assassinated.
• Made popular by William Shakespeare's Julius Caesar, when a soothsayer warned Caesar:  Beware the Ides of March.
• Who is Donald Trump's soothsayer?

One more item about outer space, those stranded two American astronauts on the International Space Station.

• Yesterday, 45 minutes of launch, NASA called off an attempt to save them.
• Something to with a hydraulics issue.
• Crew-10 commander Anne McClain, pilot Nichole Ayers, Japanese astronaut Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov were strapped in and ready for blastoff from historic pad 39 at the Kennedy Space Center at 7:48 p.m. EDT Wednesday.
  
• Maybe Friday night?  It will take a day to get to the ICS.    Another two days and Astronaut Nick Hague, cosmonaut Alexander Gorbunov, and our stranded couple, Butch Wilmore (on the right) and Sunita Williams (left), should be on their way back to Earth. Gorbunov is in a green shirt.
• But this was supposed to occur way back in September of 2024.

I just this week reported that egg prices are now dropping.  Well, maybe I misspoke, as I forgot Easter is coming, and any drop could well actually be an increase.  About 180 million eggs are purchased just to color eggs.

• Let's see now, how much is this, really?
• In the U.S. we consume 285 eggs/person/year, or 0.78 eggs/day.
• That would then be 262 million eggs/day.  
• So those 180 million Easter eggs are less than what we normally consume per day.
• Maybe egg prices might continue dropping.

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